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Q&A: WHAT ARE YOUR WORKOUT ESSENTIALS?

06/29/2017

I could talk about this stuff all day, every day. I love gear! My husband is a backpack, bag, electronic storage gear-head and I am a complete workout gear junkie. I get most of my stuff from Amazon. It’s just easy, and the selection and reviews are so helpful in decision making. I’ve listed out all of the things that I use on a regular basis, that I love, and have done tons of research on. Of course, you don’t need all of this fancy gear to get in an effective workout. I have been collecting my arsenal of exercise equipment for a few years now and add things as I go. We have a giant storm room in the basement that we are currently using for storage, but I have big plans to clear it out and turn it into a home gym later this summer. I prefer to workout at home, as opposed to a gym, so it will be nice making better use of the extra space and having all of my gear in one place.

One of my favorite pieces of equipment is my Jumpsport Fitness Rebounder. Rebounding is one of the best ways to get in a good cardio workout and raise your heartbeat fast.

I have indoor and outdoor sneakers, although sometimes my indoor sneakers accidentally make it outside. I love the Adidas Performance Ultraboost X for indoor workouts and these Nike Juvenate sneakers for running/hiking outdoors.

My favorite workout clothes are from Outdoor Voices. Not only are they beautiful and minimal, but the quality can’t be beat. I like the High Rise Leggings, which I usually pair with a t-shirt, and the Steeplechase Bras are hands down the best sports bras I’ve ever had.

I use this yoga mat. It says that it’s a little thicker than traditional yoga mats, but I find that it’s pretty average. Gets the job done, though. I also love this SPRI mat because it’s thinker and great for intense floor work and keeps my knees comfortable.

I recently bought this foam roller after asking for suggestions on Instagram. It’s perfect. I ordered the 36″ one, so I could do more with it. Foam rolling takes some getting used to and I am still a beginner, but really liking it so far. If any of you have some foam roller routine suggestions, I’m all ears! A friend of mine has been rolling for years and mentioned that it is definitely not supposed to be comfortable when in use. She was right!

I use this resistance exercise cord and really like it. I have the green one, which is the lightest amount of resistance and think it’s about time to upgrade to one that’s more challenging.

I love my step box. You can totally use a chair to get the same results. The one I have is made out of plywood and has three different heights, so it makes things a bit more challenging, depending on what I’m working on. The boxes come in different sizes; the one I have is 20″ x 18″ x 16″. I am thinking about adding the next size up into my mix soon. I think you could easily make something similar yourself, if you’d rather save a few bucks. They are a little pricy, but the quality is outstanding!

I am always and forever a BKR water bottle carrier. I just love them. They are cute and functional, and I love that the bottle is made of glass, as opposed to plastic. I have several of the 500ml and liter sizes. I carry one with me at all times to stay hydrated!

I don’t practice a lot of yoga at home, just because I don’t think I am very good at it, but when I do I use these yoga blocks. I find they make a lot of the more difficult poses easier. I actually need to buy a new one because my cat chewed one of them up.

I love these resistance bands to create a more challenging workout. I throw them on when I’m doing squats or leg work. I also like these ankle weights. I have the two-pound set!

I do Ballet Beautiful 4-5 times per week and find that wearing ballet shoes is best. These canvas Bloch slippers are amazing and have a split-suede outer sole, which makes them comfortable and easy to move in. Make sure you read about the sizing. I had to study the reviews to find my perfect size. You want them to fit snug.

I just bought a FitBit. After reading several reviews on Amazon and thinking about going with the Apple Watch, I decided to go with the new, slim, Alta HR model. I am just getting familiar with this baby, but love that I can track my progress throughout the day. It keeps me motivated!

I use a jumprope to get my heart rate up fast. I can’t remember the brand name of the one I have, but it looks just like this.

Lastly, I use 2, 3, 5, and 10 pound hand weights for various toning exercises. Mine are similar to these ones.

I do have a few other things that rarely get much use like a Bosu balance trainer, kettle bell, and this 15 pound medicine ball, which I bought for BBG. These things are great, I just find that I prefer using others more and enjoy doing workouts that don’t require them.

I think that’s about it and hope this list helped. What about you? What are your favorite workout essentials? I would love to know! xxJ

11 comments

I’m sure YouTube has a ton, also PilatesAnytime offers many, and you can search the workout by “prop” (ie foam roller, resistance band, magic circle ~ a personal favorite) however the site is one you must subscribe too. They may offer a free trial!

I need some new workout gear and sneakers – I often feel a bit more motivated after I buy some new ones.
So I guess good clothes, sneakers, my water bottle are my essentials.
I get everything else I need from my gym.
Including a tool and shower stuff!
Kiri
Set to Glowhttp://www.settoglow.com.au

I live in an apartment so I can’t do much in the way of high impact workouts. I mostly run, but I have an exercise bike for when it’s snowing etc. It’s a Sunny Health & Fitness Pro Indoor Cycling Bike from amazon and I have no complaints, it’s gotten me through the winter a couple times and it’s great for when I just want to zone out and watch YouTube for an hour without being a total slug.

Other than that the only things ever use are a 35 lb kettlebell and 2 15 lb rubber coated dumbbells. I also have a 10 lb slamball that I much prefer to a medicine ball. I use it for weighted sit ups/stability work and I take it to the park when I really want to go to town with it.. highly recommend.

Lauren Roxburgh has a bunch of foam-rolling videos as well as a book that outlines a 21 day program. I found the book a little bit hard to figure out the the videos are good. Foam-rolling gets less painful the more you do it. It was sooo painful in the beginning and now I’m addicted. http://laurenroxburgh.com/

Like you, this year I dedicated myself to wellness and self care. I am not a gym person, but got really into NIA. You should check it out, I think you might love it, as it is great exercise, but also a practice and a way of living that is truly life changing. Trust me I am not one to comment, or push people into things, I truly am sharing this out of Joy.